Players stretch between drills during a 2023 Maine Mariners practice at Cross Insurance Arena. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer
The Maine Mariners are poised to operate under new ownership in the 2024-25 season.
The team announced Tuesday that Dexter Paine of North Conway, New Hampshire, reached an agreement to purchase the East Coast Hockey League franchise from Comcast Spectacor.
Terms of the agreement, which still needs approval from the ECHL Board of Governors, were not disclosed.
Paine, who is co-founder of the private equity firm Paine Schwartz Partners, said in a statement he plans to keep the team in Portland. The Mariners, who will maintain their affiliation with the Boston Bruins, play their home games at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland.
“I could not be more excited about the next phase for this team and its outstanding fans,” he said in the statement.
“Portland holds a special place in my heart and some of my earliest hockey memories involve attending Mariners games. I am thrilled to be able to realize this life-long dream with a city and team that mean so much to me. … I look forward to supporting our dedicated hockey operations staff and players as they work to create a sustainable winner with a style of play that our fans are proud and eager to support.”
Once the sale is finalized, which the team expects to happen prior to the season, Paine will serve as the Maine Mariners’ governor. Terrence Wallin will return as the coach and general manager.
“As we move ahead, I look forward to introducing a number of programs and initiatives that not only give back to our community but deepen the connection between the Mariners, players and the people who we so proudly represent,” Paine said in the statement.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Join the Conversation
We believe it’s important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It’s a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. Read more...
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
For those stories that we do enable discussion, our system may hold up comments pending the approval of a moderator for several reasons, including possible violation of our guidelines. As the Maine Trust’s digital team reviews these comments, we ask for patience.
Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday and limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve.
By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is found on our FAQs.
You can modify your screen name here.
Show less
Join the Conversation
Please sign into your Press Herald account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe. Questions? Please see our FAQs.